Sheet-metal box.



No. 747,770. PATBNTED DEC. 22, 1903.

'L. RICHARD. SHEET METAL ox.

AIPLIO ATION FILED we. 20, 1902.

. K0 MODEL.

WITNESSES: VI/VVE/V 70R) In: Miami mun c0, Puc'ro tu. wAsumuwm n, c.

- strength throughout.

UNiTED" STATES Patented December 22, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

LUCIEN RICHARD, OF DIJON, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO MANUFACTURE DIJONNAISE DES BISCUITS PERNOT, OF DIJON, (CCTE-DOR,) FRANCE.

SHEET-M ETAL BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 747,770, dated December 22, 1903.

Application filed August 20, 1902. Serial No. 120,379. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern:

Beitknown that I, LUCIEN RICHARD, acitizen of the Republic of France, residing in Dijon, (Cote-dOr,) France, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Sheet- Metal Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

It is common to provide sheet-metal boxes with lids orcovers joined to the box by a weakly-soldered joint extending along the edge of the cover, so as to permit of its being torn away from the'box, usually by means of a key which engages it at one end and gradually rolls it up over the top of the box. This is a common style of constructing shallow rectangular boxes.

- My invention'aims to provide certain improvements forfacilitating the removal of the cover of rectangular boxes such as those referred to. With boxes in use at present the entire cover is a single piece of the same When the box is tobe opened, the cover is very easily started, but

as the width of the opening becomes greater the difficulty increases greatly and often results even in the'breaking of the ring or key which is used for stripping the lid. In the case of the key most commonly used thiskey rests at the beginning of the movement on the edges which are being torn, and the action is easy; but when these edges separate so far that the key is not supported on them the inatteris very diflicult, indeed. I propose to form the lid of two substantially triangular portions united to each other either by soldering or bya weakened integral portion, as hereinafter explained,along their hypotenuse and united all along their other two edges to the sides of the box, all of said joints being so weak as to permit tearing. With a box of this construction the pull exerted in tearing away one-half of the lid comes more nearly shows that where the soldered edges diverge widely, as at the starting-corner in the ordinary rectangular lid, the pull being in the direction of the line bisecting the angle is much mately rectangular.

ing my box, first one and then the other of the triangular parts of the cover may be easily torn away.

The accompanying drawings show embodiments of the invention.

Figure l is a longitudinal section of a box closed with the two triangular portions of the lid united by means of solder. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same on the line M N of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a plan of the same. Fig. 4. is a plan of a similar box the cover of which is divided into two triangles by weakening the metal along a diagonal line. Fig. 5 is an under side view of the cover'of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a section on the line P Q of Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a section of an additional detail.

Referring to the embodiments of the in- Vention illustrated, the box is shown as having an elongated rectangular shape in plan,

though it may,.without departure from the invention, be square or otherwise approxi- It is closed by a cover or lid consisting of two substantially triangular portions A and B of very thin tinned sheet metal. As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the twotriangular plates A and B are connected to each other approximately along diagonal line of the rectangle. Along this line of union one of the two plates extends slightly over the edge of the other, and a quantity of solder a is placed between them to connect the two. The two plates A and B thus assembled are united at their other edges by solder to the inturned edge b of the body of the box. The plate A, whose oblique edge or hypotenuse laps over that of the plate B, is terminated at its point in an extending tongue, which-serves to' receive a ring 0. This extending tongue is bent back over the top of the box, and the ring 0 lies in an annular depression formed in the top of the box. The second part B of the cover has at its end also a tongue 6 bent back and carrying a ring f, which likewise rests in an annular depression in the top of the box, so that these rings shall not cause any excessive thickness in packing the boxes.

The angular space 9, Fig. 3, which exists underneath the fold of the tongue cZ-that is to say, between this tongue and the angular edge h of the box-is closed by a part of the plate B which is below the plate A; but at the other angle 1' there would be an open space between the tongue e of the plate B and the angular edge of the box, since the plate A does not extend quite to the corner of the box. This space is closed by means of a small triangular piece of metal j, arranged below the cover and soldered to the edge of the box.

The cover may be formed of two triangular portions integral with each other, Figs. 4 and 5, and having simply a crease along the diagonal line 70, such as to weaken the metal along this line and reduce it to about half its thickness. The weakening line or cut may be traced on one face or on both faces of the metal, this kind of joint being a known equivalent for a soldered joint in this art. The points of the triangular portions A and B, as in the previously-described construction, end in tongues for receiving a ring or other suitable convenient member for tearing them off. In this case there are small open spaces at both angles, and they are closed by two small triangular pieces of metal j, as previously explained.

In either case the opening of the box by tearing away the cover is very easy. In the arrangement shown in Figs. 1 and 3 the finger can be passed into the ring 0 of the plate A, and by a sufficiently strong pull the plate may be detached along the soldered diagonal and also along the other two soldered edges. Thereupon the plate B may be similarly torn off from the box by taking hold of the ring f. In the construction shown in Figs. 4 and 5 the tearing operation may commence with either of the triangular parts A and 13, since neither one of them lies above the other. In each case the tearing starts at a point, and preferably the sharpest point, of a triangle, and the width of the joint increases gradually from the beginning to the end of the operation and from a mere point to the width of the shorter side of the box.

It will be found useful to provide also a cover 0, Fig. 7, to protect the contents of the box after it has been opened and before the contents are consumed.

Though I have described with great particularity of detail devices embodying my invention, yet it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific structures disclosed. Various modifications of the joints at all said edges being so weak as to permit of tearing the two triangles separately from one another a nd from the box whereby said triangles maybe easily removed by starting them at one of their acuteangled corners.

2. In combination with a substantially rectangular sheet-metal box having a lid formed of two substantially triangular sheet-metal portions united to each other along their bypotenuse and united along their other two edges to the sidesof the box, the joints at all said edges being so Weak as to permit of tearing the two triangles separately from one another and from the box, and means for taking hold of each of said triangles at one of its acute-angled corners.

3. A substantially rectangular sheet-metal box having a lid formed of two substantially triangular sheet-metal portions united to each otheralong their hypoten use and united along their other two edges to the sides of the box, the joints at all said edges being so weak as to permit of tearing the two triangles separately from one another and from the box, each of said triangles being provided with a loose flap at one of its acute-angled corners and ext-ending beyond the joint-line of the triangle.

4. A receptacle having a plurality of overlapping covers soldered thereon, each of said covers having a projecting unattached end portion adapted to be engaged by the fingers, whereby the covers may be ripped successively in opposite directions.

5. A substantially rectangular sheet-metal box having a lid formed of two substantially triangularsheet-metal portions united to each other along their hypotenuse and united along their other two edges to the sides of the box, the joints at all said edges being so Weak as to permit of tearing the two triangles separately from one another and from the box, each of said triangles being provided with a projecting unattached portion at opposite acute-angled corners adapted to be taken hold of whereby the triangles may be ripped successively in opposite directions.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. V

LUGIEN RICHARD.

Witnesses:

J ULES ARMENG-AUD, J eune, EDWARD P. MACLEAN. 

